University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Savvy Simo to Return for 2021 Beach Season
May 14, 2020 | Beach Volleyball
SOCIAL MEDIA: BeachVB on Twitter | BeachVB on Facebook | BeachVB on Instagram
LOS ANGELES -- The UCLA Bruins were on a quest for a third-straight NCAA Championship in 2020 before COVID-19 derailed their chances and the season a day after UCLA posted 3-2 victories at No. 6 USC and vs. No. 9 Pepperdine on March 11.
The NCAA would later announce that they would grant another year of eligibility to senior student-athletes who had their seasons cut short in the spring. But Savvy Simo had no immediate plans to return to Westwood. She had completed her four years on the indoor volleyball team and had won two NCAA titles on the beach in 2018 and 2019.
"When I found out everything was canceled, I was like "screw it, I'm not coming back, I'm over college, I've had my time, I already feel old, I want to play AVP, I want to move on,'" Simo said.
The 2018 third-team All-American had amassed 91 career victories and worked herself onto the Bruins' top court in 2020, partnering with sophomore Abby Van Winkle. The duo went 13-2 on the year and took down 2019 first team AVCA All-Americans Claire Coppola and Kristen Nuss from LSU in straight sets in the first meeting in Hawaii in February. Later that weekend, Simo was named the Best Attacker at the Outrigger Duke Kahanamoku Beach Classic.
Fast forward three weeks later and the season has been canceled.
Simo started formulating plans for what was to come next in her career. She thought about moving to South Bay and rooming with California's Iya Lindahl, who had just transferred to Loyola Marymount. She had decided to play on the AVP Tour and launch a career in sports media. But as COVID-19 spread, it also took out the AVP and Simo began to have reservations about her plans. Then Lindahl decided to stay at LMU and Simo's need to move on diminished with each passing day.
Rachel Morris, her previous coach at WAVE Volleyball in San Diego, where Simo had returned to wait out California's stay-at-home order, ultimately convinced her to change course and return to UCLA for one last season.
"Look, Savvy, next May, you're going to be sitting on your couch watching your team compete for a national championship and, win or lose, you're going to regret not being there," Morris, a former setter at the University of Oregon, said.
Simo said that was the tipping point and that she couldn't imagine watching this team play, knowing that she gave up on an opportunity. She called UCLA Head Coach Stein Metzger and declared her intentions to return.
"I am more than excited to be coming back for a fifth year of beach volleyball," Simo said. "It has been a wild journey and I wish we could have finished what we started this year, but I'm so blessed to have another opportunity. I can't wait to see you all at Mapes Beach next year."
Simo is currently slated to be the only senior on the 2021 squad and will look to continue her leadership role with the Bruins. Fellow 2020 seniors Lily Justine and Madi Yeomans will continue with their postgraduate plans. Yeomans attained her bachelor's of science degree in March in cognitive science and Justine attained her bachelor's of science degree in physiological science and has applied to medical school.
"Savvy is the heart and soul of this team," Metzger said. "She is the leader of this team and she and Abby (Van Winkle) were the Pac-12 Pair of the Week twice in the first four weeks of the season. They were obviously a dominant duo and we were going to miss her immensely. I am very happy that we were able to bring her back. She's very happy to be coming back and feels like there is unfinished business."
